Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 3771
NGC 3771 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Crater, 275.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Crater |
| Distance | 275.1 million light-years (84.34 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 137,100 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.71 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.92 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 39m 06.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −9° 20′ 54″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.92. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 81° N. It stands highest at midnight in March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 275 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 4,879.7 billion years.